ARIZONA WING— CIVIL AIR PATROL

WINGTIPS
Lt. Col. Patricia Brower, Wing PAO

Volume 2, Issue 3 April/May 2004

COMMANDER’S CAPT. JEROME LOBEL

Inside this issue CORNER
Lt. Col. John Varljen
By John J. Varljen, Col., CAP
Commander’s Corner 1
Arizona Wing Commander
Admiral Thomas Moorer, former Chief on
Former Cadet Stephen Oli- Navel Operation, once said, “ Personal
vares success story 2-3 responsibility begins with integrity, which
is simply another word for personal hon-
esty. Without integrity all other qualities
NCASE report 4 of your personality do not amount to
much. We hear a great deal today about
what people are against, but only a few
First Home Land Security ever stand up and tell us what they are
for”
SAREX 5 Club chapter who fought to keep two
As members of the Auxiliary of the United
States Air Force, we are held to a higher
standard. Our actions reflect back to our
AOPA Safety Report 6
parent service. We have to avoid situa-
tions that can result in negative reflec-
tions. We have set a high standard for our
TAA Speed Record 6 cadet cadre and we, as senior members,
have to hold ourselves to the same stan-
dard. The cadets learn from our actions
Prescott SAREX 7 and, as our future leaders, we hope we
taught them well.
It is with great sadness that our
Wing has lost Jerome (Jerry) Lobel,
Squadron 302, Deer Valley . He was giv-
ing his time to do a service for the Civil
Air Patrol, and for the Arizona Wing.
Jerry was part of a team returning the
CAP balloon to Illinois, when their vehi-
cle went off the paved surface of Mis-
souri’s I-44 and rolled over. Jerry was
ejected from the vehicle and fatally in-
jured. Fortunately the other two mem-
bers of the team escaped serious injury.
Jerry was a computer security
analyst and a founder of Arizona’s Sierra
dams out of the Grand Canyon. He was
instrumental in preserving the Grand
Canyon as we know it today. He was a
great source of information on the out-
doors in Arizona and an avid hiker.

Promotions 8 Recent “News of the Force” articles have

described negative situations in Civil Air
Within all of us is a varying amount of
Patrol Wings around the country. People
of questionable integrity who are former space lint and star dust, the residue from
Promotions & Winners 9 our creation.
members of CAP and are trying to justify
their shortcomings authored most of these
articles. Most of the situations described
Professional Dev. 10
in these articles occurred years ago and Most are too busy to notice it, but it is
have been thoroughly investigated and
stronger in some than others. It is
resolved. For this reason, I will not re-
Leverton Inducted in Avia- spond to any of these articles or accusa- strongest in those who fly—— and is
tion Hall of Fame 11 tions. responsible for an unconscious subtle de-
sire to slip into some wings and try for
General Ronald Fogleman wrote, the elusive boundaries of our origin.
Squadron News and “Breaches of integrity can occur for a num-
ber of reasons, such as the fear of failure, K. O. Eckland, Footprints on Clouds,
Wing Awards 12 embarrassment, arrogance, or just plain 1976
Wing Conference 13 laziness”.
V OLU ME 2 , ISS UE 3 W I NGTIP S PAGE 4

by Lt. Col. Pete Feltz

Lt. Col. Bill Turner, Arizona Wing DAE, and Lt Col Pete Feltz, Az. Wg Asst. DAE,
attended the 2004 NCASE in Atlanta GA. 23-24 March, 2004. As in previous
years, Bill Turner was on Staff as a photographer and Pete Feltz was on Staff as
the “Living History Video” interviewer. Bill has produced a CD of the major photos
he took of attendees, guests, award winners and various functions. Anyone inter-
ested in receiving a copy of this CD contact bill at :dae@azwg.cap.gov Pete inter-
viewed 12 persons for the Living History Videos. They include guest speakers,
Crown Circle Award winners and the A. Scott Crossfield Award winners and the
Frank G. Brewer Trophy recipient. Pete has produced a master VCR video of these
interviews and is making it available to any Units wishing to borrow it for meeting
programs. Pete can also make a copy of the tape. If interested, contact him at feltzp@cox.net.

As always the Congress was first class throughout. It was held at the Marriott Marquis in downtown At-
lanta, GA. There were many exhibitors and an excellent lineup of guest speakers. Some speakers included
James S. Voss an Aerospace Engineer, Navy Pilot and Astronaut; Joe F. Edwards, Jr., also an Astronaut, a
US Navy Topgun Fighter pilot with the Distinguished Flying Cross. He piloted STS-89, an orbital mission
to the Space Station MIR, delivering the last American crewmember to the Russian outpost. Dr. Kochers-
berger He was involved with the construction and flights of the Wright 1901 and 1902 gliders and piloted
the Wright Flyer before and after the Nov 17th flight. He has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and is also
a flight instructor with the Blue Ridge Soaring Society. Gus McLeod, an aviator, businessman and ex-
plorer who became the first person to fly to the geographic North Pole in an open cockpit 1939 P-17 Stear-
man in 2000. His latest adventure was toy attempt a flight around the world over the South and North
poles. Though not successful, he will give it another try in 2005. Other speakers were, Dr. L Scott Miller,
National Institute for Aviation Research Fellow at Wichita Sate University; Dr. Betsy Rogers, National
Teacher of the Year; Dr. Charles Justz, an instructor Pilot in the Astronaut t-38 and the Shuttle Training
Aircraft and Ken Blackburn who holds the Guinness Book World Record for the duration of a flight of a
paper aircraft flown indoors.
All these presenters were very in testing and there were many other highlight at the Congress but limited
space does not allow for all the functions. If you have never attended NCASE, next year will be extra spe-
cial in Washington DC 26-28 April. There will be a trip to the new Smithsonian Air Museum
Pete Feltz, Deputy Chief of Staff, Mission Support

CONGRATULATIONS FROM USA TODAY

CAP’s web site has again been selected as a USA TODAY Education Web site “Best Bet,” 3/22/04 –03/29/04.
Each week the USA TODAY Education online staff selects three “Best Bets” sites they feel would be of edu-
cational value to their audience of subscribers and guest. These sites are listed on the USA TODAY Educa-
tion home page for a one-week period with a brief description and a link to the site.
Fewer than 150 sites are selected each year as USA TODAY Education “Best Bet” Web sites.
PAGE 5 W I NGTIP S V OLU ME 2 , ISS UE 3

ARIZONA WING RECEIVES RATING OF “EXCELLENT”

Arizona Wing receives a rating of “Excellent” for the first exercise in a Homeland Security setting. Op-
erating out of Mission Base at Squadron 305, Falcon Field, Incident
Commander Layne Slapper and Air Branch Director Ron Fett mull over
the effect of the latest scenarios on available Resources.
Beginning the first day with the simulated bombing of Davis
Dam and a casino in Laughlin, downstream from the dam, little extra
tasks such as pursuing a white van fleeing the scene, transporting emer-
gency blood supplies to Bullhead City airport, searching for a lost camp-
ing party in the Mojave Recreational Area, and the simulated hijacking
of an explosive truck rapidly compounded the planning for the exercise.
The second day called for aerial reconnaissance of Davis Dam
and the bridge a short distance down stream as well checking the down-
stream area as far as Parker dam and the city of Parker for damage.
Again this seemingly simple task was made more complex by the need to
check an airstrip photographed the day before for possible loading of ex-
plosives into an aircraft.
According to IC Rich Laherty, “The next part is a bit fuzzy” ---- “the crew observed what some
would call a hang glider on steroids” – while attempting to photograph the object, “the crew was blinded by a
blinding flash almost like that seen after a nuclear detonation.” Some suggestion about the flash of light being
a certain bald dome reflecting against the canopy were overheard, but little credence was placed on the rumor.
However, a simulated terrorist airplane was ”observed” taking
flight from the strip.

While the Senior Members were rushing and coping with these
varying scenarios, Cadets (L-R) C/1Lt. Hill, C/Amn Oaks,
C/CMsgt Elliot, were busy providing snacks for the hungry exer-
cise participants. The proceeds are to help pay for our award win-
ning SWR champion drill team to go to the national competition
at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. While the snacks
were priced a reasonable one –dollar, donations of $20 a snack or
cup of coffee were gladly accepted.

All donations from anyone who wants to help our champion

drill team get to Ohio please call Capt. Cliff Owens 520-591-3565.
Of Course anyone who likes to visit that area might want to do so
to watch the team go through their paces.
By Lt. Col. Morris Courtright

Commander Col. Varljen, presents the Aerospace Education

Achievement Award to Lt. Col. Robert Erickson (R), Counter
Drug Liaison for the Wing.
 V OLU ME 2 , ISS UE 3 W I NGTIP S PAGE 6

Airmanship in the Traffic Pattern AOPA Safety Advisor

.Flying in the traffic pattern consists of maneuvering
flight that includes low altitudes, slow airspeeds, and
high angles of attack. Understand the aircraft’s limi-
tations, and follow the basic rules you first learned as
a student pilot:
“Cheating” on a turn is not good airmanship and
is hazardous. Trying to maintain a shallow bank but
increase the turn rate with rudder results in crossed
controls, a skid, and the potential for a low altitude
spin. Base-to-final is a dangerous place.
The famous stabilized approach. The airlines in-
sist that the crew essentially stop maneuvering 1,000
feet above the ground when landing. For lighter air-
craft, we might accept 500 feet as the maneuvering
“hard deck.” This means the flight is on airspeed, at
the right altitude, with an appropriate descent rate
and aligned with the runway. Not stable on final
approach? Go around!
Distractions are a major source of maneuvering
mishaps. Complete the before landing checklist, with
the possible exceptions of landing flaps and prop full
forward (on aircraft with a controllable pitch propeller),
before turning base. Statistics show that 39 percent of
fatal stall/spin accidents begin below 250 feet AGL. If
interrupted, run the entire list again. It’s better to take
extra time than miss a critical item. Don’t have time
before turning final? Go around—you’re not ready for
landing. Start the checklist earlier next time.
“Impossible turn:” Everyone knows about the danger
of attempting the impossible turn—or do they?
If you experience a complete engine failure after takeoff
in a single-engine aircraft, what would you do? Would
you attempt to turn back to the airport or land straight
ahead? That should be decided prior to takeoff so it is
an automatic process if the worst happens.
It’s better not to turn unless there is plenty of maneu-
vering room. A good rule of thumb is to select a landing
area no more than 30 degrees to either side of the nose
Caption describing picture or graphic.
of the aircraft. A greater turn may easily use more alti-
tude than you have available.

TAA MEMBERS SET SPEED RECORD from the March 2004 Tucson Airport Authority Newslet-
ter the SKYLINE

Tucson Airport Authority members Chanda Budhabhatti and Barbara Harper were awarded a new re-
cord, "Speed Record Over Recognized Course" from Tucson, Arizona to Laughlin Bullhead International March
16 during Women's History Month. Ms. Budhabhatti, acting as captain, and Ms. Harper, serving as copilot,
covered 257 nautical miles in 2 hours 4 minutes and 59 seconds in a Cherokee PA28-235 airplane and received
the US National Certificate of Record from the National Aeronautics Association.
In July 1998, the aviators flew from Tucson to Guaymas, Mexico and set another speed record, completing
the 157.58-kilometer distance in 1 hour 47 minutes and 11 seconds in Class C1-c, Group.
A member of the Authority since 1995, Ms. Budhabhatti became the first Indian woman to receive a com-
mercial seaplane rating this month. She also holds private, commercial instrument, and advanced ground in-
structor licenses. An active promoter of aviation education and safety she was instrumental in opening the
Aerospace Hall at Nehru Science Center in Mumbai, India on December 17, 2003, coinciding with worldwide
celebrations of the centennial of flight. She serves on the board of trustees of the Arizona Aerospace Founda-
tion.
Ms. Harper joined the Airport Authority in 1987. A retired airline pilot, Ms. Harper serves as a board
member of the Arizona Historical Society, Arizona Pilots Association and Aero Club of Arizona. She is also a
member of the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, 99s, and a member of the selection committee of
the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame. She holds 10 FAA certificates of flying and is currently a check airman for
the Civil Air Patrol, aerial archaeologist, and volunteer with the Aircraft Owners & Pilots' Association,
AOPA.

Despite dicey weather, wind, thunder, lightning, rain and finally sun, Aviation Day at Ryan Airfield attracted a
sizable crowd. Held March 13, the highlight was the Dime-a-Pound airplane rides. The Tucson Chapter of the
Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots toured 103 passengers around Tucson in small air-
planes, while Voyager Helicopter took 130 passengers on fun filled flights.
PAGE 7 W I NGTIP S V OLU ME 2 , ISS UE 3

SAREX SUCCESS by Lt. Col. Morris Courtright, Plans and Programs

Ably led by Lt. Col. Don Timmerman, the Arizona Wing received an Ex-
cellent rating from the USAF evaluators at the SAREX held March 27-28 in
Prescott with a remote base in Payson.
With 71 members and 18 aircraft participating, 55 sorties were success-
fully flown with some from Prescott recovering in Payson and vice versa; as
well as return to the airport of departure. There were no accidents or inci-
dents for a total of 74.9 hours flown. The sorties included transport of per-
sonnel and mission records between Incident Command Center and Remote
Camp (Camp Alpha).
Continuing on Sunday, 36 personnel and 7 aircraft again successfully
completed 127 sorties with no accident or incident for a total of 18.1 hours.
Lt. Col. Don Timmerman, IC

Lt. Rhoades and Cadet Bruner from Lt. Col. Bob Efros and Col. Gil Day setup
Squadron 206 were on hand to help. the network system so all Arizona Base

computers would have access to the database.

Capt. Ray Reeve explains to Maj. Dusty Fiscus

how the APRS (Aircraft Position Reporting Sys-
tem) works.

Congratulations to all those participating in this activity,

one of our most basic Congressionally mandated
 V OLU ME 2 , ISS UE 3 W I NGTIP S PAGE 8

GODWIN is NEW WING VICE COM-

MANDER
As of April 1, Lt. Col. Jerry Godwin became our new
Wing Vice Commander.
Lt. Col. Godwin’s CAP experience lends well to his new
duties. He joined CAP in 1992, and being a good member
he took all the ECI courses necessary. He was Com-
mander of Squadron 501 for three and one half years.
Godwin attended Southwest Region Staff College and
gained further momentum for leadership. He Com-
manded Group V for four and one half years. He then
planned on a rest. He said, “Thought I would “coast” for
awhile, but Col. Varljen suggested that I had “coasted”
long enough (6 months) and appointed me to the position
of Vice Commander of the Arizona Wing.”

Godwin said, “I will give it my best effort, but glad it is

only for one year.” One year or not, we are sure Lt. Col. Godwin will give his all to do a good job, as he has done
in his other positions.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

ARIZONA WING’S NEW-

EST LT. COL.
Lt. Col. Bill Betts receives his
new rank from Wing Commander
Col. Varljen.
Lt. Col. Bill Betts began his
CAP experience with Squadron
205 in Sedona. He is a CFI pilot in
gliders and a mechanic with an
Inspection Authorization. He not
only became Captain, but also took
over as Squadron Ops. Officer. He
was 205 Squadron Commander,
moved up to Major and Group 2
Commander. And NOW he is a
Wing Staff member and a Lt. Col.
Lt. Col. Betts is currently working
as the BLM program coordinator,
and assists Lt. Col. Efros with
HLS and DR. He is an aspiring IC,
and is assisting Squadron 205 and
Group 2 in establishing a fully
functional ground team.
 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3 WINGTIPS PAGE 9

SADDLE MOUN-
TAIN
SQUADRON 801
PROMOTES 28 CA-
DETS
Arizona Wing’s first school
project had their first promo-
tion for their Basic Cadets. The
Cadets worked very hard, and
showed their enthusiasm by
going to the squadron meeting
early to study their CAP Lead-
ership Module together. They practiced drilling in warm weather and never complained. Are they dedicated or
what!!!!
The basic Cadets were taught under the Cadet leadership of Cadet Commander Mathew A. Triplett and Dep-
uty Cadet Commander Karissa A. W. Triplett. The squadron commander was SM Floyd Chaffee, Deputy Com-
mander of Cadets SM Melissa Redwine., and SM James Roberts Jr. Squadron Chaplain. Squadron 801 wishes
to ask all of the Arizona Wing members to celebrate the squadron’s success with them.
Cadets promoted on 23 April 2004: David Cobb, Jeremy Scotten, Adrian Gonzales, Mark Neal, Emilio Torres,
Clint Richmond, Jareth Chaffee, Christopher Behrend, Jon Keilman, Laken Silovic, Seth Grandy, Patrick Wills,
Aaron Torres, Johathon Teixeira, Brandon Hill, John Bianco, Kalie Redwine, Lisa Boyd, Matthew Sobarzo, Je-
sus Miranda, Cody Noller, Kilie Redwine, Crystall Behrend, Catherine Renaud, Amber Pearson, David Sobarzo,
Jon Retzloff, and Rebekah Begay.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SADDLE MOUNTAIN SQUDRON, AND TO ALL THE STAFF,

PARENTS, AND MEMBERS. A JOB WELL DONE.
Submitted by Melissa Redwine, AZ801DCC and 1Lt. Rickey A. Triplett AZWG/CAP/DDRA
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3 WINGTIPS PAGE 10

By Maj. Frank Wheeler

SPECIALTY TRACKS

How many Specialty Tracks have you completed?

Do you know that you can study as many as you want to? The only catch is that you only can have three ac-
tive at one time. After you have reached Master Rating in one course, you can take another different Track.

The Units can always use somebody who is trained in a Specialty Track even if the position in the Unit is
filled. There is always a need for someone who is trained.

I believe there are seventeen different Tracks at the present time. If you need something to do, try a different
Track!

The guides for all the Tracks should be available at the Unit level. A complete selection was sent the all
Squadrons some time ago. If your Unit doesn’t have the Specialty Track Guide that you want, it can be or-
dered from CAPMART.

AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING (AFIADL)

Are you still bored? There are a multitude of courses that can be taken by CAP members from the AFIADL.
They are listed in CAPP 8 and in the AFIADL catalog. The old ECI catalogs have the courses listed and there
hasn’t been too many changes made in the catalogs.

UP-COMING EVENTS
As always, there seems to be a lot of things going on in CAP. I hope you attended the Wing Conference.
There was a lot of information available the for those who have questions about how things are done. The
Wing Senior Professional Development Officer (SPDO) had booklets of information on the duties of the SPDO
and the Unit Testing Officer, along with the forms and guides that might be needed.

There is a Squadron Leadership School and a Corporate Learning Course being held at Embry Riddle Univer-
sity in Prescott on 22 & 23 May. Don’t wait too long to take the course. You might find that you have time-in-
grade for promotion, but lack one of the courses.

There will be a Unit Commander’s Course held a Luke AFB on 26 & 27 June. In the past, the Wing CC has
made the statement that if you are wanting to become a Unit Commander, you need at least one of the two
different Unit Commander’s Courses.
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3 WINGTIPS PAGE 11

IRENE LEVERTON INDUCTED INTO ARIZONA AVIATION HALL OF FAME

The purpose of the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame is to honor those persons whose significant contribu-
tions to aeronautics and astronautics have brought special recognition and credit to themselves and to the State
of Arizona. Award recipients will be commemorated in the Arizona Aviation hall of Fame permanently housed
at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson.
Awards are based upon suitable candidates being identified and up to 4 may be presented annually. If
no suitable candidates are found, no awards will be given. This Fifteenth Annual Induction Dinner was held on
April 3, 2004 where four candidates were enshrined. One of the four persons inducted this year was Civil Air
Patrol’s very own, Irene Leverton, a pilot from Squadron 206 in Prescott, AZ. This event was the culmination
of a lifetime of accomplishments for Irene that ended 50 years of flying to becoming an inductee in the AZ Avia-
tion’s Hall Of Fame. Not to say that this “ace” aviator is quitting after 50 years, Oh No, she can not wait to get
back in the cockpit, flying is a passion to Irene.
It all started at the age 3 when Irene was taken to see an air show and never forgot the excitement she
felt. When 6, she was building airplanes and flying them off the third floor of her Chicago home. By the time
she was old enough she joined the Civil Air Patrol as a Cadet and furthered her thirst for flying and her dream
of being a fighter pilot. As a young Cadet in 1944, Irene soloed and by the time she was eighteen, she was teach-
ing acrobatics in a Stearman Bi-Plane on weekends.
Ms. Leverton has flown so many planes, from DC’s, C46 Military Cargo, Aero Commander 680 FL,
Cessna 411, De Haviland Doves, Air Ambulances and numerous others. She flew part of the Atlantic twice and
the Pacific in a single engine Piper Commanche. In 1964, she won the “Women’s Pylon Race” at Reno Nevada
Air Races. She has set up 141 Flight Schools, flown on contract with the US Forest Services, been a Corporate
Pilot flying a twin engine Bonanza, organized the original Women Airline Transport Pilots Association. She
participated in the “Great Race” – London to Victoria, B.C. and placed 10th out of 65 participants. She received
the “Women With Wings” Award in 1986 from the International Air and Space Museum in Ohio.
However, one of her proudest moments was being asked to take Astronauts Physicals at Lovelace Clinic
in Albuquerque New Mexico. Of the 45 women asked, Irene was one of the 13 who passed. There have been
several books written about the Mercury 13 and Irene Leverton has been mentioned in all and has been a guest
on TV shows about the Mercury 13. When not flying, Irene is writing about aviation and has been published
numerous times in aviation maga-
zines
An aviation career that
most of us could only dream of,
came to fruition for Irene Leverton
on April 3, 2004 when she and four
other inductees were enshrined
into the Arizona Aviation Hall of
Fame. It was an honor to present
this great Lady Aviator at the In-
duction Ceremony and to share the
special Tributes of all four induc-
tees. Irene, we salute you! See
you in the blue yonder Ace!

Submitted by Jacquie Gates, 1Lt

CAP.

Group II Public Affairs Officer

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3
Maj. Angelo Pappas has stepped
down from the position of Squadron
Deputy Commander because of per-
sonal commitments. He will, how-
ever, accept the position of Communi-
cations Officer.
Maj. Michael Hare will be Squadron
Deputy Commander.
Maj. Hare, Lt. Don Chaddock and
Maj. Charles Bendixen participated
in a search mission for a missing
Cherokee 140 that disappeared Feb-
ruary 16th. The wreckage of the
missing aircraft was spotted later by
a CAP aircraft.
Bendixen will be the Course Director
for the Squadron Leadership School
to beheld in Prescott, May 22-23.
Lt. Dan Shearer is the Assistant Di-
rector of the SLS. All of our Senior
Members who have not attended an
SLS to do so. It no only gives a good
overview of how squadron operations
are run but attendance at the Squad-
ron Leadership School is one of the
prerequisites for promotion to Cap-
tain. To attend you will need to have
a Form 17 filled out.
By Maj. Charles Bendixen
Commander, Squadron 201
WINGTIPS PAGE 12
ARIZONA WING SELECTED FOR REGION’S SAR
AWARD
Arizona Wing is the Region’s selection for the SAR award for
2003: The biennial evaluation was rated EXCELLENT.
The complex SAR/DR scenario involved a mid-air collision between a
Luke AFB F-16 and a Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport based KC-135 of the
Arizona Air National guard during a night air refueling mission in the
described weather. The clues and details were skillfully deduced by the
wing staff to locate wreckage, the pilot’s ejection seat and an actual F-16
pilot posing as the downed and injured aviator. From the onset of the
task, the Arizona Wing met every challenge.
Quality and quantity of SAR training during the year:
A total of 147 missions for just the above customers was supple-
mented with an aggressive SAR/DR training regimen that placed the
Arizona Wing's aircraft utilization rate as the leader in the nation with
an average of 283 hours per aircraft. One aircraft, N96928, assigned to
Squadron 308 at Glendale Municipal Airport (KGEU) led the entire Civil
Air Patrol fleet with 465 hours total for CY 2003!
Wing performance during actual SAR missions:
The Arizona Wing started the year with an actual SAR mission in
January, searching for an aircraft carrying a very popular minister from
Texas and his family. The aircraft disappeared on the snow-covered
slopes of the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona at night. Mission
03M0053 came to a close with the Arizona Wing flying over 350 hours
in rugged, mountainous terrain, hampered by snow, freezing tempera-
tures and treacherous winds around the 12,000 foot peaks: A noble ef-
fort.
The final trial-by-fire came in September with the loss of a light air-
craft near the Arizona/New Mexico border. The media interest sparked
by this aircraft's loss with a representative of the South African Govern-
ment aboard drove an extensively long search period during which the
Arizona Wing alone flew over 450 hours using all available assigned cor-
porate aircraft, again in otherwise inaccessible mountain terrain. Mis-
sion 03M2227 was closed with no find: The Arizona wing will continue
the search during a USAF funded training exercise in March of 2004...as
a matter of pride and principle.
Cooperation between the wing and federal and state and local SAR agen-
cies:
In between the highlights of 2003, the Arizona Wing flew sorties for a
wide array of very happy customers.
The level of performance and commitment to support the Air Force,
its missions and Luke AFB in particular, let directly to the 1 December
relocation of the Arizona Wing’s headquarters onto Luke AFB with the
enthusiastic support of the 56th Fighter Wing Commander, Brigadier
General Phillip Breedlove.
The Arizona Wing was awarded the SAR Award. The Texas Wing received the
SWR DR Award , and the Arkansas Wing received the SWR CD Award.. All
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 3 WINGTIPS PAGE 13

The 49th Arizona Wing Conference was one of the best. The setting at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univer-
sity in Prescott was the perfect place to enjoy learning. Our thanks to 1Lt. Jacquie Gates and all of those in
Group II who so diligently made the arrangements and plans for the programs, seminars, and scheduling.

The Wing Conference celebrated the accomplishments of 2003 and provided information for future planning.
The Conference gave the opportunity to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the members, and to
thank the members for their many volunteer hours .

Friday evening, the Hampton Inn was the perfect place to enjoy delicious appetizers, and seeing those we
haven’t seen for awhile or to just relax.

On Saturday, a variety of instructional material was an active part of the Seminars. The seminar material
either introduced new ideas to some, or for others a review. Our own members shared their expertise, and also
Beth White from National gave an excellent program on Aerospace Education.

Saturday evening, the banquet at the St. Michael hotel provided another occasion to socialize and to honor
the special achievements of our members. The guest speaker was, Don Packard, M/Sgt USAF (ret.) from Con-
gressman Renzi’s District Office located in Prescott. He expressed his and Congressman Renzi’s appreciation of
CAP’s role in Search and Rescue, in Aerospace Education, Cadet Programs and now Homeland Security. Mike
Stewart, from National spoke briefly on the changing role of Civil Air Patrol in today’s changing society.

The following pictures are but a few of the pictures taken at the reception, morning assembly and
the evening banquet. All the pictures which I took are on a CD for Lt. Col. Efros to put on the Wing
Web page.